Artificial hand



H. J. M AN'GE RS.

ARTIFICIAL HAND.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 5| I9I9.

, Patented Nov. 4 1919.

inurnn STATES PATENT onmoa HENRY J'. MANGERS, OF PEORIA, ILLINOIS.

ARTIFICIAL HAND.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 4, 1919.

Application filed September 5, 1919. Serial No. 321,998.

(FILED UNDER THE ACT OF MARCH 3, 1883, 22 STAT. L, 625.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY J. MANGERS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Peoria, Illinois, have invented an Improvement in Artificial Hands, of which the following is a specification.

The invention described herein may be used by the Government, or any of its olficers or employees in prosecution of work for the Government, or by any other person in the United States, without payment of any royalty thereon.

This invention relates to artificial body members and contemplates specifically an improved construction of mechanical hand.

One object of this invention is to provide a form of artificial hand, which shall be capable of adjustment so as to grip articles of different sizes and shapes and which may be locked in the gripping position.

Another object of this invention is to provide an artificial hand which may be quickly and securely attached in a socket mounted on the stump.

Another object of this invention is to produce an artificial hand having a pair of gripping members, provided with a plurality of gripping surfaces, so that objects may be held at more than one point of contact.

A further object is to construct an artificial hand in which the gripping members shall be so guided during their relative movement for adjusting purposes as to keep corresponding gripping surfaces in proper relation to each other, and to hold them in such relation after the gripping members are locked against further movement. The,

purpose served here is to obtain a firmer grip and to prevent the possibility of dropping the object through relative transverse movement of the gripping elements.

A further object of this invention is to produce an artificial hand which shall provide a firm grip and which shall be of strong and durable construction. In the use of artificial hands, the wearer frequently has occasion to hold tools or other implements where it is necessary to have a hold which will not slip. Frequently, too, occasion arises where the article held is to have work done on it, and an artificial hand is likely to receive heavy blows while in use,

cesses in the socket member.

be described, the construction has no elements su-chas hinges, pivots, etc, which would be weak in themselves, nor is there any part which may be easily broken.

lVith these and other objects in view, as will appear from time to time in the attached specification and claims, the invention consists in certain novel constructions, comblnations and arrangements as will be hereinafter more partlcularly set forth and claimed.

For a better understanding of the invention, reference is made to the accompanying drawings showing one embodiment of the novel device, and in which corresponding parts are indicated by similar reference characters.

Figure l is a side of the device;

Fig. 2 is a plan view;

Fig. 3 is an end view.

In the embodiment illustrated the artificial hand is provided with means for attachment to a member mounted on the stump. The member mentioned is not shown nor is it claimed as a part of this invention, but it is of the customary form, consisting of a combination of leather bands and straps, providin a socket for the stump of the arm, and having on its outer end a metallic member to which the artificial hand here shown is to be attached. For this purpose the main body member or elevation of one form shank 1 of the novel hand has a reduced portion 2 for insertion in a suitable recess in the socket member, not shown. The

shank is also provided adjacent the reduced portion with an enlarged shoulder 3 on the face of which is a plurality of lugs l, for engagement with corresponding recesses in the socket member.

To attach the hand the reduced portion of the shank 1 is inserted in the opening in the socket member and the lugs on the face of the shoulder enter corresponding re- The use of a plurality of: lugs prevents the hand from ed portion 2, with which channels a plu-' rality of locking elements forming apart of the socket member are made to engage.

This arrangement prevents the hand from" beingaccidentally removed from the stump of the amputated limb and in combination with the lugs and recesses shown also prevents the hand from rotational movement.

At the outer end of the shank 2 there is mounted a fixed gripping member 5 rigidly attached and adjacent the member 5 there is mounted on shank 2 a movable gripping member 6, of a shape similar to member 5 and capable of movement toward and away from member 5. To permit of this movement the member 6 is provided with a threaded stem 7, forming an integral part of the member and extending toward, and passing through, a hole in member On the stem beyond member 5 there 1s located a thumb nut 8. By unscrewing the thumb nut the movable gripping member may be moved to produce any desired opening between it and the fixed gripping member. After the object to be held is inserted in the opening, the thumb nut is turned, drawing the gripping members toi gether to hold the object with as great a pressure as may be necessary.

To provide a plurality of contact surfaces, by means of which the object may be more firmly gripped, the member 5 has a plurality of extensions along itsedges here shown as three in number and designated as 9, 10 and 11. These extended portions are bent toward member 6. The member 6 has a series of corresponding extensions along its edges designated as 12, 13 and 14, and bent toward member 5, so that when the gripping members are drawn together, contact is first made between the edges of these corresponding bent portions. This makes it possible to hold an object at more than one point of contact, giving a firmer grip, and by means of the threaded stem and thumb nut, the gripping members may be drawn together as tightly as may be desired.

In order that the movement of member 6 may be properly directed,'when the gripping members are to be opened or spread apart and that member'6 may be held in proper relation to member 5, when in the open position, it is necessary to provide some form of guide, so that member 6 may be prevented from both rotational movement about the stem? and anysidewise movement made possible by the stem 7 fitting loosely in the hole in grippingmember 5. Either of the above mentioned movements would weaken the grip of the hand by reason of the corresponding contact members being displaced.

be moved to lit the object.

To serve such a purpose, a rod 15 is attached to the member 6, and is made with a series of bends, so as to pass through a hole through shank 1 and then with an intermediate. U portionthrough a second hole in shank 1, adjacent the first hole and parallel thereto. By means of this bent rod passing twice through the shank 2, the movable gripping member is held securely 1n proper relation to member 5 and rotational or sidewise movementcaused by gripping stresses is prevented. It will be seen that by locating the guide rod between the gripping members and the shoulder 3 of shank 1, the guide rod in no way interferes with the functioning of the gripping members, and the wearer may, with perfect freedom, hold an object in the same positions as would be possible with the human hand. A further purpose is served by the provision of a guide of the form shown inasmuch as it furnishes the wearer with means to hold the jaws of the hand open while the object to be gripped is inserted. This is'aocomplished by forming the rod 15 of spring metal and of such shape that the end 16 does not register exactly with the corresponding hole in the shank 1, but must be sprung to permit its insertion. This creates a frictional contact between the rod and the shank and serves to hold the movable aw in any position to which it may The advantage of this feature to the wearer will be obvious.

A further feature of advantage inthe use of a U shaped rod as a guide is that the loop of the guide may be employed to hold objects or as a means of-attachment therefor,

as by means of a cord, etc.

.ters Patent is:

1. An artificial hand comprising a fixed and a movable gripping "member, a sliding guide attached to said movable member adapted to direct the relative movements of the members in the adjusting operation and to hold the movable member against movement out of alinement with the fixed member while in the adjusted position, and means to draw said movable member toward said fixed member.

2. An artificial hand comprising a shank, a fixed gripping member attached to said shank, a second gr'ipping member movably mounted on said shank, a guide attached to said movable member, said guide having sliding engagement with said shank at more than one place, and means to draw said mova'b-le member toward said fixed member.

3. An artificial hand comprising a shank, a fixed gripping member attached to said shank, a second gripping member movably mounted on said shank, a U-shaped guide attached to said movable member and having sliding engagement With said shank, and means to draw said movable gripping member toward said fixed member.

4. In an artificial hand, in combination, a pair of relatively movable gripping mem- Gopies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing'the bers and a U-shaped guide attached to one of said movable members to direct the relative movement of said members.

5. An artificial hand comprising a shank, a fixed gripping member mounted thereon, a second gripp' member movably mounted on said Shani, a stem on said second member extending through said fixed member, means on said stem to draw said members together, and a guide attached to said movable member and having sliding engagement With said shank.

HENRY J. MANGERS.

Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. 0. 

